Is this packaging part of the system? The package is not part of the system.

Name of the product

Size

Weight (g)

Type

Type code

Pradėjo galioti

Baigė galioti

Pakuotė yra tinkama grąžinimui.

The package is not part of the system.

The package is not part of the system.

Packages

The system covers metal, glass and plastic beverage packaging that bears the appropriate deposit mark.

Returned packaging must be empty, with its original shape maintained, its labels undamaged and the barcode clearly visible.

In order to verify whether the one-way packaging is part of the deposit system and can be returned to the reverse vending machine, enter the barcode on the packaging.

Information on the types of one-way packaging managed by the public institution Užstato Sistemos Administratorius (Deposit System Administrator) can be downloaded here.

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Return process

Packaging can be returned throughout most of Lithuania, with this option available in shops with an area of more than 300 square metres or village shops. In most places, the packaging is returned using reverse vending machines.

If a shop does not have a reverse vending machine but is part of the deposit system, the packaging can be returned at the till, where the deposit will also be refunded.

Why return clean packages?

Returned packages should be completely empty, ideally, rinsed with water. It is much more enjoyable to return clean packages as they do not produce unpleasant odor, especially if collected at home, and do not attract parasites. Moreover, returning clean bottles and cans into reverse-vending machines or at manual collection points, reduces odor emitted by remnants of beverages. In this way returning packages becomes more pleasant for everyone.

The deposit system covers beer, beer cocktails, cider, other fermented beverages, mixed alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, kvass, and all types of water, juice and nectars sold in glass, plastic and metal (tin) packaging.
Fruit wines and wine-product cocktails are part of the deposit system when sold in plastic and metal packaging.

The RVM takes back plastic bottles both with and without their caps. However, returning bottles with their caps on is the most environmentally friendly method. Moreover, keeping the bottle’s cap in place will prevent its shape from being changed.

Make sure that the packaging is empty, with its original shape maintained and the label with the barcode undamaged.

It is possible that the barcode for the packaging has not been put in the system or the information entered is incorrect (weight, shape, etc.). Such cases are rare, but if this happens, please immediately inform the shop staff so the system error can be eliminated and your deposit refunded.

Manually collected packaging must conform to the same requirements as containers returned to the RVMs.
Collected packaging is brought to a centre where it undergoes an automatic counting process according to its label, shape and weight.

No - a deposit is charged and refunded only for packaging marked with the system’s deposit symbol. If the buyer notices that a deposit was charged for packaging that does not conform to this requirement, he or she should contact the shop staff.

Returning packaging is worth the effort because you can receive 10 euro cents back for each piece. In addition, you help Lithuania by doing this, because disposable beverage packaging is the biggest source of litter in the environment. Such containers are often left lying around, even though they could easily be recycled. The deposit system also ensures maximum efficiency for the collection and processing of packaging waste.

In 2016 alone, more than 300 million packaging items are expected to be collected, equating to at least 55 per cent of one-way beverage packaging in the market. The amount targeted will be raised in future.

According to data, one-way beverage packaging is the largest source of waste in the environment, with items often dumped at landfill sites rather than being recycled. Experience in the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, Germany and Estonia demonstrates that deposit systems for one-way packaging help large quantities of packaging waste to be collected and recycled.

People often leave this type of packaging lying around in places such as in forests, near lakes and along roads, even though the decomposition process for such packaging takes a very long time. For example, glass can take up to 1 million years to decompose, plastic bottles 450 years, and metal cans 200 years.

Packaging for beer, cider and soft drinks is the biggest source of waste in the environment. People leave containers in forests and parks, near lakes and on beaches.

It has been taken into consideration that there is a huge variety of alcoholic beverages, so the prevalence of imported wine makes it challenging for importers to produce and attach enough new labels marked with the deposit symbol.

In addition, strong alcoholic drinks often cost more, and for some people a 10-euro-cent deposit might not be enough of a motivation to return the packaging.